Bently Nevada 3300/16 XY/Gap Monitor: OR Voting Radial Vibration Protection with First Out

Brand Bently Nevada

Model Bently 3300/16

Description:

The 3300/16 is an XY/Gap dual vibration monitor from Bently Nevada, part of the 3300 Series Machinery Protection System. It is a single-slot rack module that continuously measures two independent channels of radial shaft vibration plus average shaft position (gap), and it drives alarm relays for machinery protection.

The module accepts signals from two proximity probe / Proximitor transducer systems — typically two probes mounted 90 degrees apart on the same bearing — and conditions them into peak-to-peak displacement readings in mils or micrometres. The 3300/16 replaced the earlier 3300/15 Dual Radial Vibration Monitor, and the defining addition is gap measurement: the module evaluates the DC component of the probe signal to track average shaft position and raises a dedicated gap alarm, so bearing wear, shaft drift and probe movement are detected alongside dynamic vibration.

Because the 3300/16 is configured through suffix codes — full-scale range, transducer input type, alarm relay type, agency approval and safety barrier — there is no single “standard” unit. The same base model spans 0-3 mils to 0-500 µm full scale, 100 or 200 mV/mil transducer scaling, and no-relay through hermetically sealed quad-relay builds.

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Description

Application Scenarios:

A refinery ran a centrifugal compressor train with XY proximity probes at both bearings, monitored by a 3300 rack that had been in service for twenty years. Vibration protection existed, but the site had no visibility of shaft position — so when a bearing began to wear, the first indication was a rising vibration reading, by which point the damage was already advanced and the machine was inside a forced-outage window.

The gap channel is what changed that. Fitting the 3300/16 in place of the legacy 3300/15 gave the reliability team two measurements from the same pair of probes: dynamic radial vibration in peak-to-peak displacement, and average shaft position derived from the probes’ DC gap voltage. Bearing wear shows up as the shaft centreline migrating in the bearing clearance long before vibration amplitude crosses an alarm threshold. With gap Alert setpoints configured as an over-and-under window and a six-second time delay to ride through transient excursions, the team had a genuine early-warning signal — not a trip, but an indication to plan an inspection.

The second pain point it addressed was diagnosis. Because the 3300/16 provides buffered transducer outputs on front-panel coaxial connectors and rear terminals, an analyst can connect a portable vibration analyzer or data collector to the live probe signal without breaking the protection loop. On a machine where the difference between an imbalance and a rub has very different consequences, that ability to capture the raw waveform while protection stays armed is the whole point.

Parameter:

Main Parameters	Value/Description
Product Model	3300/16 (XY/Gap Dual Vibration Monitor; configured as 3300/16-AXX-BXX-CXX-DXX-EXX-FXX)
Manufacturer	Bently Nevada (GE / Baker Hughes)
Product Category	Dual-channel vibration monitor module for the 3300 Series Machinery Protection System
Measurement Channels	2 independent channels; XY radial vibration plus average shaft position (gap)
Transducer Input	Proximity probe / Proximitor voltage signals; input impedance 10 kΩ; user-programmable sensitivity 200 mV/mil (8 V/mm) or 100 mV/mil (4 V/mm)
Transducer Compatibility	Option -01: 3300 8 mm, 3300 XL 8 mm, 7200 5/8 mm (200 mV/mil); -03: 7200 11 mm (100 mV/mil); -04: 3300 XL 11 mm, 7200 14 mm, 3300 HTPS (100 mV/mil); -05: 3300 XL NSv and 3300 RAM (200 mV/mil)
Full-Scale Range	Selected by suffix A: 01 = 0-3 mils pp, 02 = 0-5 mils, 03 = 0-10 mils, 04 = 0-15 mils, 05 = 0-20 mils; 11 = 0-100 µm, 12 = 0-150 µm, 13 = 0-200 µm, 14 = 0-400 µm, 15 = 0-500 µm pp
Accuracy	±0.33% of full scale typical, ±1% maximum at +25 °C; setpoint repeatability within ±0.39% of full scale
Frequency Response	User-programmable: 4 to 4,000 Hz (240 to 240,000 cpm) or 1 to 600 Hz (60 to 36,000 cpm), -3 dB nominal — the second band suits slow-speed machines
Recorder Outputs	User-programmable +4 to +20 mA, 0 to -10 Vdc, or +1 to +5 Vdc, proportional to full scale; voltage output impedance 100 Ω, short-circuit protected
Buffered Outputs	Front-panel coaxial connectors and rear terminal connections per channel, short-circuit protected — for analyzers without interrupting protection
Alarm Setpoints	Alert and Danger, digitally adjustable 0 to 100% of full scale; gap alarm with 6-second time delay; latching or non-latching operation; optional First Out indication
Alarm Relays	One relay module per monitor; options 00 (none), 01 epoxy-sealed, 02 hermetically sealed, 03 quad relay (epoxy only), 04 spare monitor
Display and Indication	Non-multiplexing vertical bargraph LCD per channel with centre gap scale, approx. 83 mm; resolution within ±1.6% of full scale; OK, Alert, Danger and Bypass LEDs
Power and Environment	2 W nominal from the rack supply; operating 0 to +65 °C; storage −40 to +85 °C; up to 95% RH non-condensing
Rack Space	One 3300 rack position, any slot except position 1 (power supply) and position 2 (system monitor)
Compliance	Designed to meet API 670 requirements for accuracy, linear range and temperature stability; CE; CSA/NRTL/C and ATEX self-certification available by suffix